Various gear cutting processes are available for machining workpieces with gear teeth. Processes exist, for example, for soft premachining, soft fine machining and hard fine machining Examples for cutting processes are hobbing and gear shaping. Shape grinding and generating grinding are available for a cutting soft fine machining.
The successful use of each process and the realization of suitable process routines are only possible by the use of optimum machines, tools and application techniques. Different platforms are provided for this purpose which allows the use of tool-specific accessories. Depending on the application and the tool, the gear cutting machine can be equipped with the matching machine parts. Provided automation is provided, machining tools, apparatus for clamping the workpiece as well as workpiece grippers count as machine parts which can be set up. The term tool in this respect includes a tool mount, e.g. a tool mandrel, where one or more tools such as millers, worm grinding wheels or grinding wheels can be placed onto the mandrel. The named apparatus and grippers can be application-specific or workpiece-specific and optimize the access to the clamped workpiece as well as its automated machining. Furthermore, the term of machine part which can be set up covers the workpiece itself.
The NC control of the machine requires precise parameter data for the controlled gear cutting process which characterize the machine parts which can be set up, i.e. which are variable, in particular with respect to their geometrical dimensions or their positions with respect to one another. The parameters inter alia include information on the type of working mandrel used as well as the number and positioning of the tools placed on the mandrel.
The configuration of the control by inputting these parameters in dependence on the actual set-up state is necessary for setting up the gear cutting machine. A complex manual measurement of the machine parts which can be set up often has to be made in advance to be able to provide the required parameters. For example, the working mandrel is measured by hand and the respective measured data are input manually into the gear cutting machine via an operating panel. In addition to the pure measured data, it may be necessary to calculate additional data in advance and to input them subsequently. Such a procedure is, however, prone to error. Even the smallest incorrect inputs can have far-reaching consequences which extend from defective workpieces up to substantial damage to the gear cutting machine due to collisions.
The subject matter of the present disclosure therefore deals with this problem in the setting up of a gear cutting machine. In this respect, an improved process for setting up the gear cutting machine should be sought.
This object is achieved by a method of setting up a gear cutting machine wherein the gear cutting machine is equipped with at least one machine part which can be set up and the parameters relating to the set-up machine part are input into the machine control for the subsequent gear cutting process. The machine part which can be set up is to be understood as in particular any accessory for the gear cutting machine which is specific to the workpiece. This may include the workpiece to be machined itself as well as tools provided for this purpose as well as optionally an apparatus for clamping the workpiece and grippers for the automation.
The term tool does not only comprise the workpiece itself, but rather the provided working mandrel on which one or more similar or different tools as well as spacer rings, clamping nuts or other components can be arranged.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the parameter input, i.e. the input of the parameters relating to the set-up machine part, takes place via a graphical modeling of the machine part on a display element of the gear cutting machine. The machine offers the user the option to reset the actually set up machine part by a graphical modeling on the display element. For this purpose, the user can virtually compose the graphical model of the machine part on the display element from one or more graphical part components/part models. The graphical model of the machine part can consequently be virtually composed on a display element of the gear cutting machine in a user-controlled manner from one or more graphical part components. For example, the user is given a selection of available part components/part models which can each be graphically presented per se. The user can select one or more part components/part models and can compose them graphically to form a model of the machine part.
The required parameters for the machine control are subsequently derived directly from the prepared modeling and provided to the gear cutting machining of the machine control. The required control configuration takes place quasi no longer by inputting pure numbers, but visually on the basis of a graphical modeling, and may be determined without additional input from the user.
The graphical modeling and presentation on the display element offers the user the possibility for the visual monitoring of his input. The user can consequently compare the prepared graphical model on the display element with the actually set up machine part; obvious errors are noticed and can be avoided in advance. Additional calculation steps are completely dispensed with. This process reduces the probability of incorrect manual inputs and increases the efficiency of the production process significantly since the parameters can be derived via the processor in the same way and following predetermined calculations, thus improving repeatability in the gear cutting process.
The user can precisely match the graphical modeling to the actually used machine part by interaction with an operating panel or with the display element.
The machine part may be the tool mandrel, including one or more tools, spacer sleeves, etc., and/or the workpiece itself and/or an apparatus for clamping the workpiece. The configuration of any machine accessory which can be set up can generally take place on the basis of the method in accordance with the present disclosure. The machine part is consequently in multiple parts and can be variably composed of individual part components. This is applied accordingly to the graphical modeling at the display element of the gear cutting machine.
Ideally, the graphical representation of the at least one machine part or of the graphical part components is calculated by a rendering process of the machine control. The raw data or scene information required for this purpose are stored in a database of the gear cutting machine.
In an embodiment of the method, the rendering process takes place in real time and the underlying scene can be interactively varied by the operator. The operator can, for example, vary the angle of view and the zoom of the representation interactively by a user input; the calculation of the computer-based model takes place in real time and is immediately visualized on the display element.
The display element is expediently touch-operable, in particular multitouch-operable, so that the operator can vary the scene of the graphically modeled machine part or of the one or more part models/part components by touching the display element. A multitouch-operable display element is in particular used so that the scene can be varied interactively by various multifinger gestures.
The user can make use of a database of the gear cutting machine for the graphical modeling of at least one machine part. The machine part can also be composed of a series of various part components such as applies to a working mandrel. The user is offered a selection option of graphical part models to virtually compose the set-up working mandrel. The database offers the user various types of mandrel for this purpose which can be equipped virtually with suitable tools as well as spacer sleeves, etc. The user can ideally graphically model any actual working mandrel to scale using the database. The control-relevant parameters for the machine control are automatically derived from the graphical modeling and supplied to the machine control. A manual configuration of the gear cutting machine with respect to the machine part used is no longer necessary.
In addition to the purely visual plausibility control of the user, a virtual plausibility control of the graphical modeling takes place in the background by the machine control. It is in particular checked and monitored here whether the inputs, i.e. the graphical modeling, of the user are sensible. For example, the virtual plausibility control takes place while taking account of a planned machining program for gear cutting and/or while taking account of the composed components of a machine part and/or while taking account of further machine parts which can be set up. A monitoring is conceivable such as whether a working mandrel is composed of a sensible selection of part components. It is also monitored whether all the tools required for the planned machining as well as the apparatus for clamping the workpiece and, if present, the grippers for the automation, were set up and/or configured.
The machine control can display the result of the plausibility control and optionally warning messages.
It is also conceivable that the geometrical modeling of the machine part or at least of an individual component of the machine part can be modified by user input. The user can consequently not only select individual machine parts or machine part components from the database, but can rather model or modify them individually by user input in real time, in particular with respect to their geometrical dimensions, their positioning, location or alignment with respect to other machine part components, etc. Possible properties of the machine part or of the machine part component can also be modified and adapted. This in particular applies on the use of different tools which can be adapted by user input with respect to their number of gears, number of teeth, etc. to the actually used machine part components.
The database can be filled via a corresponding interface, in particular by supplementary entries on machine parts or machine part components. The data for this purpose are already provided in protected download areas by some tool manufacturers. In future, apparatus data will also be able to be provided by the apparatus manufacturers. This applies equally to the required raw data for the rendering process.
In addition to the process, the present disclosure further relates to a gear cutting machine having at least one display element, in particular a touch-sensitive, optionally a multitouch-sensitive, display element, as well as a machine control for carrying out the method in accordance with the present disclosure or an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure. The gear cutting machine in accordance with the present disclosure obviously has the same advantages and properties as the method in accordance with the present disclosure, so that a repeat description will be dispensed with at this point.
The present disclosure further relates to control software which is stored on a data carrier and which can be carried out on a gear cutting machine for carrying out the method in accordance with the present disclosure.
Further advantages and details of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.